Six students are selected to participate in this six week summer program. The only prerequisite is the successful completion of a course in ordinary differential equations along with an interest in biology. There are two primary goals of this program. First, to expose the participants to the area of mathematical biology and to the mathematical tools that are frequently used in the field. Second, to allow students to experience mathematical research in an area that is more readily accessible to undergraduates than other fields of mathematics. A larger goal of the program is to generate interest in mathematical biology and help grow this important field of mathematics.
Students choose to participate in research projects related, but not limited to: pattern formation in active media, the modeling of electrically excitable cells, biomedical fluid dynamics, population dynamics, genomics, and bioinformatics.
Past REU participants have had their work appear in journals, presented at conferences, and used as theses at their respective schools. More importantly, as a result of participating, students have decided to pursue (or not pursue) careers in mathematical biology.
Visit http://vortex.bd.psu.edu/~mathdept/research/REU.php3 for more information.
